Little Girls Lost Super Lana 11
by DJ Dubois
Summary: When Clark and Lana find two sisters sleeping in his parents' barn, they agree to help them find their father. What else they discover proves shocking too.


Little Girls Lost (Super Lana 11)  
David J. Duncan  
July 2004  


  
Notes: Smallville and all recognizable characters belong to DC and the WB. All other characters are mine. Please send comments to   
  
Chapter 1 [Day after "Visitors"]  
  
[Kent Farm]  
  
Clark walked out of the house before dawn. After their latest two close calls, he was unable to sleep. _I can't believe that Lionel Luthor is still alive.   
  
But he is, my Son. You and Lana must be careful_, Jor-El reminded him.  
  
_After what happened last night, I'll try_, he assured the ghost. _For both Lana's sake and mine.  
  
That makes two of us_, Lana agreed over their telepathic connection. _Couldn't sleep either?  
  
Nope. I'm still jumpy over how the Black Hand and Mr. Luthor could be so anywhere_, her boyfriend stated, taking a nervous look around both normally and with his x-ray vision.  
  
_I know but we still need to lead our lives normally. Since I can't sleep, I'll be there in a sec!_ Barely three minutes later, she arrived there, adding, "Sorry. Chloe was out in the hall so I had to avoid her."  
  
_That's not an easy thing to do. As if the Hand wasn't bad enough, now we have to avoid Chloe again full time._ He shrugged. "Want to help me clean out a couple of stalls?"  
  
"Sure," she concurred. "Left or right?"  
  
"Left," he indicated, zipping off in that direction.  
  
She smirked, feeling the mood lighten in the barn. _He needed that dose of humor._ With that, she sped through the stalls, raking out the dirty hay and replacing it with clean hay. As she did so, she was careful not to disturb the animals. "There!"  
  
"Looks good," he complimented, inspecting her handiwork.  
  
"So glad that you approve," she teased, kissing him on the cheek.  
  
At that moment, a slight cough echoed down from the Loft.  
  
Lana looked at Clark with concern. Lex's father had demonstrated that he could easily break in there. But then again, so could the Protector for that matter. _But that's not the Protector._ "Upstairs," she whispered.  
  
He looked at the situation through the floorboards with his x-ray vision. On the couch, there was something moving under the old comforter. "Come on."  
  
_Be careful_, Jor-El urged.  
  
The teens moved cautiously up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, they saw the bundle on the couch twitch a bit and cough slightly.   
  
"What is it?" Lana wondered.  
  
"Looks like my parents have some uninvited houseguests," he replied. He crept up to the couch and listened. "Two heartbeats. They're kids?"  
  
After she had joined him, they gently folded back the comforter to find two little girls curled up, trying to sleep.   
  
"Look, Clark! Where did they come from?" she inquired.  
  
"I have no idea," he responded. "Are they Kryptonian?  
  
_No_, Jor-El ascertained. _They are not._  
  
At that moment, the taller stowaway opened her eyes. Her jaw dropped open. "D…don't hurt us! We don't mean to be bad. My sister and I just wanted to sleep!"  
  
"That's okay," he assured the girl. "Do you have a name?"  
  
She nodded. "It's Angie. This is Cassie."  
  
Cassie groaned, "Angie, I wanna sleep. 'Mon."  
  
"Cassie, we gotta get up," Angie informed her.  
  
Lana smiled warmly at them. "I'm Lana and this is my friend, Clark. We're in his parents' barn. Are you hungry?"  
  
"We haven't eaten anything since yesterday," Cassie reported scratching her head. "We're hungry."  
  
Angie nodded. "Please. My tummy's rumbling. Then can you help us find Papa?"  
  
Clark grinned at them, letting his eyes sparkle. "I'm sure my Mom will have something great for you both. Can you come with us? She'll like to see you."  
  
"As long as we aren't in trouble," Cassie replied, standing wearily. "We just wanna find Papa. It's been so long since we've seen him.  
  
"You're fine," he assured them. "Follow us and we'll see what we can do."  
  
[Fifteen minutes later]  
  
Martha dished up two stacks of pancakes for the little house guests. As with Clark and Lana, she had been very surprised when they came in, looking for breakfast. _I wonder who their father is? They can't be from around here since I've never seen them before. After breakfast, we'll need to call Sheriff Adams._ "Here you go, Kids," she declared, setting down the plates in front of them.  
  
"Smells good, Mrs. Kent. Thank you," Cassie expressed.  
  
"Thanks," Angie concurred. Looking at her sister, she asked, "You wanna or should I?"  
  
"I will," the elder indicated, as they folded their hands. "Thank you, Lord, for this nice food and for the wonderful people that found us. We appreciate them and You. Amen."  
  
"Amen," the younger concurred before digging in. "Mmm, I love these pancakes, Mrs. Kent."  
  
Martha smiled at them. "I'm glad, Kids." She set a glass of juice in front of each of them. "That's for you too. Do you mind if I ask where your parents are?"  
  
"My mother's far away," Cassie sighed dejectedly.  
  
"And my Mama's in Heaven," Angie frowned. "We know our Papa's around here somewhere."  
  
Lana asked, "You two have different mothers, then?"  
  
"Yeah, Miss Lana, that's right," Angie informed her.  
  
"Although Mama and Papa never wanted me," Cassie grumbled sadly.  
  
The older trio stared in horror at Cassie, wondering what couple wouldn't want such a pretty, well-mannered daughter.   
  
"Cassie, I'm glad you're here," her sister declared, hugging her.  
  
"And so are we," Clark told them both. Around Angie's neck, he saw a golden necklace with a tiny locket. "That's pretty, Angie."  
  
"Thanks. Mama gave it to me before she died," the younger girl noted, looking at it. "It's all I have of her."  
  
"You have your memories too, I'm sure," Martha indicated. "Other than your father, do you have any family?"  
  
"We have a cousin but she's lost or somethin'," Cassie explained. "Some bad men took her 'way."  
  
"Took her away?" Lana asked.  
  
"Men in black with no faces. Really scary. They hurt Mama and Papa," Angie reported. "He's really mad about that."  
  
_Men in black with no faces?_ Lana puzzled over the description before asking, "Their faces were covered in black cloth?" She wrapped a scarf over her nose and mouth. "Like this?"  
  
"Yeah," Cassie concurred. "Papa loved her."  
  
At this point, Martha looked at the teens, sensing the same thing as Lana. _This story matches the one Lionel pulled out of Miranda's head._ "Say, girls, after we eat, would you like to take a ride?"  
  
The girls' eyes bulged. "You said we weren't in trouble!"  
  
"No. This is a restaurant that we're going to. I own it and I love seeing nice girls like yourselves eat there," Lana reassured them. "There are some friends I want you to meet. They're super nice."  
  
The sisters looked anxiously at each other, as if silently deliberating. Then as one, they turned back to the trio and nodded.  
  
"Great!" Lana agreed. _I hope Miri's all set._  
  
_We just opened, Boss. Sorry we're behind schedule but I had to drop Auntie and Uncle at the airport. What's going on?_ Miranda replied telepathically.  
  
_Can you call Agent Petersen? We have two little girls here_, her boss informed her.  
  
_Where did they come from?  
  
They were sleeping in the Loft. They're looking for their father apparently_, Lana noted. _I figure you can help cheer them up a little bit?  
  
As long as they're not too much trouble. Sure. See you in a few minutes_, Miranda agreed before cutting off the connection.  
  
"We don't wanna be any trouble," Cassie reinforced.  
  
Martha repeated, "You aren't." She hugged each of them. "Let's finish up and then we can go. Okay?"  
  
The girls nodded vigorously as they resumed eating. For some reason, they felt an attachment to the farmhouse and wanted to know why. Still, for now, they decided to go with the flow.  
  
Chapter 2 [Luthor Castle]  
  
Lex enjoyed a cup of coffee while looking at his stock quotes. Just as with Clark and Lana, the previous night's incursion left him thinking about things. First, there was the Black Hand itself. He had hoped that the organization would have overlooked Smallville but there wasn't any hope of that now. On top of that, he now knew that they were all targets. _I can take it but how will it affect everybody else? _   
  
He paced about the room, anxiously considering all of the possibilities. _Especially with Dad's working with them, they'll try yet again._ He frowned. _Especially given his hatred of Dave._ That insight brought two other aspects of the issue up. How had his father survived and gained these new abilities? _For that matter, Dave's alter ego demonstrated incredible powers while breaking up the event. When they meet again, I don't want to be anywhere near there. Still, I know that both Dave and this 'Protector' will be around. I need to talk with Steve when he gets back from the airport._  
  
His mind returned to his friends. Particularly, he thought of their reaction to the meteor rocks. _It's interesting that they both have that reaction to the meteors. Very interesting. _While he remembered Lana's old necklace, he had never seen Clark around the rocks—at least not for sustained periods of time. _I wonder how they developed that reaction. Maybe that necklace overexposed her.  
_   
At that moment, a knock came from the door. "Yes?" he asked.  
  
Chloe stuck her head into the office. "Hey, Lex, I came right over. What's going on?"  
  
"Shut the door behind you," he instructed. When she had done so, he inquired, "Did anything seem funny to you about the other night?"  
  
"Other than the fact that Agent Petersen and the Kents lied with straight faces? You tell me. They obviously wanted to keep Clark and Lana out of the police report. And what's the deal with your friend, David Dubois?" she wondered.  
  
"It's a really long story," he replied, rubbing his hand over his scalp. "And now that Dad's back, he's going to even harder to deal with."  
  
"Lex, your father's dead," she pointed out.  
  
"No, he's not. Apparently, he survived that accident and has changed. That brings me to why I asked you over. I need you to do some research."  
  
"Research?" she asked. "On what?"  
  
"Radiation mutations. Obviously, Clark and Lana have been affected and so has my father."  
  
"And what about Miranda's uncle?" she asked.  
  
"His situation…is caused by black magic. A curse," he noted.  
  
"There are no such things as curses," she denied.  
  
"Then how do you explain his condition? No, Chloe, there are curses and there is something on that land our fathers purchased. Leave him out of this for now. I would like to know though about the radiation. If our friends need treatment, I want to get it for them," he explained.  
  
If he's like that then what does that make Miranda? "All right, Lex. I'll get on it."  
  
"Thanks. How are you doing by the way?" he wondered, pouring her a cup of coffee.  
  
"All right, I guess. My arm's doing fine. I hate being left out of things but what else is new?" she told him while starting on her latest dose of hot caffeine.  
  
"I know the feeling," he agreed. _I know it well._  
  
[Jasmine's room]  
  
Even as Lex and Chloe planned their investigation, Jasmine mused about the previous evening's events. _How could the Black Hand have tracked them back here? And I thought Mr. Luthor was dead!_ She had sent a confidential fax to Rajah's secure center using the Talon's machine. _Hopefully, he will get back to me. _   
  
As if on cue, the cell phone buzzed.  
  
"This is White Dove. When the bound bird sings…."  
  
"Never will Fortune ring. This is Rajah. Thank you for the facsimile but you took quite a chance sending it to me," Rajah lectured.  
  
"It is a crucial situation. I need to know about my friend's uncle and Lionel Luthor," she indicated.  
  
"I will see what I can find out. Meantime, your father was grateful that you're safe, White Dove," Rajah told her.  
  
"We're fine…thanks to Miranda's uncle. I want my friends to be safe too. That's why I make this request," she insisted.  
  
"Very well. Your father would like to pass along his gratitude to him. We'd appreciate it if you'd do so. Take care. The Black Hand regroups as we speak. Our sources speak of a high level secret project underway. If I hear of anything, I will contact you. Rajah out," Rajah concluded.  
  
"Thank you," she concluded, disconnecting the line. _High level secret project? Whatever could that be? _   
  
Sensing her concern, Cocoa chattered.  
  
She petted her friend's head. "Thanks but we need to deal with this on our own, Cocoa." She sighed. _What is the Black Hand doing now?_  
  
  
  
Chapter 3 [Talon]  
  
Miranda left Sandra to run things out front so that she could take a break. It had been a busy morning, never allowing them a breath. _At least there's a lull now. _She closed the storeroom door behind her. Opposite her, a cloth was stretched over the hole leading to the alley. _Uncle Dave blew through there pretty quickly._ Even two days later, she could still feel the Protector's rage. _I wish he weren't so angry._ She reached out toward the counter where her lunch bag sat.  
  
As if on its own volition, the sandwich slowly floated to her. _Sending stuff flying away is easy. Making stuff come to me is hard._ She bit into the peanut butter and jelly._ And I wonder if I'll be able to do those blasts like Uncle Dave does?   
_   
At that moment, Lana came in. "Hey, Miri, do you have a minute?"  
  
"Let me finish my sandwich and I'll be right out," Miranda indicated. "Sorry you caught me mid-bite."  
  
Her boss grinned sheepishly at her. "Sure. Sorry to rush you."  
  
"No sweat," Miranda declared, taking a fast bite.   
  
Lana walked back out into the main area where Clark, Martha, Angie and Cassie sat. "What do you think?"  
  
"It's really cool," Angie noted.  
  
Cassie nodded, not sure of what to think of everything around her. In particular, she felt something familiar in the air here.  
  
"Can I get you something? A cup of tea? Or a soda?" Lana offered.  
  
"Coffee for Mom and me," Clark accepted with a smile. "How about some chocolate milk for them?"  
  
"That okay with you, girls?" Martha asked.  
  
The little ones nodded and expressed, "Thanks!"  
  
"Be right back," Lana agreed, going to the counter.  
  
"Cassie, what is it?" Clark queried. "Is everything okay?"  
  
She sighed, "I think our Papa's been here recently. I can feel him."  
  
Her sister nodded. "Yeah."  
  
At that moment, Miranda walked over. As she did, she felt something too. _What the? _   
  
As soon as she had, the sisters stared at her but elected not to say anything.  
  
Picking up on the telepathic contact between them, Miranda assured them, _Everything's all right._  
  
Angie and Cassie stiffened.   
  
"This is our friend, Miranda Arighatto. Miranda, this is Angie and the shorter girl is her sister, Cassie," Martha introduced.  
  
"Hi!" Miri greeted, leaning over to smile and look them in the eye. As she did, she noticed Angie's necklace. _What the? It can't be! But I need to know for sure._ "That's a pretty necklace. Where did you get it?"  
  
"Mama gave it to me," Angie mentioned. "It's my favorite thing in the whole world."  
  
"I'll bet it is," Miranda concurred. "Can I look at the locket on it? Just lean closer and you won't have to take it off."  
  
"All right," the little girl agreed and did so.  
  
Miranda looked at the golden locket. It was a circular with a mini-inscribed "A" on the back. Almost instinctively, she touched the clasp, opening it.  
  
"Hey! How did you do that?" Angie gasped.  
  
The others were looking at her too. There was no apparent clasp on the golden bauble yet she knew exactly where to open it.  
  
Miranda noted, "Read the inscription, Lana."  
  
Her best friend looked at the lines and read, '_To Auntie Angie with love. Miri._' She gasped. "It can't be!"  
  
Miranda took out her necklace and the locket she wore. "It is." She snapped open her bauble and recited, " '_To Miri-Ma with love. Auntie Angie and Uncle Dave_.'"   
  
The sisters leaned over and read it too. "Miranda!" they realized and hugged her.  
  
While Miri didn't know what to make of this, she knew that they were somehow related to her. "That's right. But who are you? Uncle Dave didn't have any kids."  
  
The two girls sulked, thinking she was dismissing them.  
  
Sensing their disappointment, Miranda comforted them. "It's okay. You're my cousins?" They nodded. "That's great!"  
  
"Is he here?" Cassie asked, feeling impatient with all of the attention Angie was getting.  
  
"You just missed him," Lana sighed. "He and your Aunt April left this morning." At that moment though, she felt a surge from the corner.  
  
Clark looked over and saw the tell-tale energy signature by the storeroom door. _He's here._ "Hey, Lana, you think we can show them the back room? There's something neat in there."  
  
"You aren't going to hurt us, are you?" Cassie wondered hesitantly.  
  
"Why would you ask such a thing? Of course not," Miranda promised. "I think there's something you'll want to see. Follow us."  
  
Martha looked at the three teenagers curiously, wondering what was going on. _Is this another one of Lionel's tricks, I wonder? They need to be careful. _She followed the others.  
  
As soon as they were in the backroom, the girls surveyed the area excitedly, picking up on their father's aura all around them. "Papa! Papa!"  
  
"Wha's this?" the Protector asked as his image appeared in front of them.   
  
"They're your kids apparently," Lana indicated.  
  
"Mah kids? Big Bro an' Ah don't have no kids! Least not any livin' ones an'…" The spirit-image looked at the two girls again.   
  
"It would figure he wouldn't want me," Cassie complained, breaking down into tears. "Not after what happened before."  
  
"Happened before? What happened before, Cassie?" Martha wondered.  
  
The Protector growled, "Cassie? Did ya call 'er, Cassie? Can't be!"  
  
"It is," Miri affirmed. "Who are they? Do you and Uncle Dave know them?"  
  
"Cassie's dead. Lie-Boy scared Big Bro an' Karen into killin' 'er!" the Dark One noted with an air of malice. Looking at the other girl, he supposed, "Ya're Ang'lina, Ah bet."  
  
"Don't hurt us, Mr. Monster. We thought you were our Papa," Angie requested fearfully while hiding behind Martha.  
  
"Hurt ya? Ah…ah…." The image, if it was possible, quaked with indignation. "Ah ain't no monster! An' Ah'd never hurt ya! Lemme see ya."  
  
The two girls shook with fear at the sight of the dark image.  
  
"It's okay," Lana assured him. "He isn't as scary as he looks."  
  
The sisters walked hesitantly toward the image. They gazed upon the glowing thing there with trepidation, fearing that it would send them away again.  
  
The Protector hissed low, the fear grating at him. "Ah won't hurt ya. Ah jus' wanna know somethin'. 'Kay?"  
  
The two kids nodded silently.  
  
The image stared into their eyes and scanned their auras, affirming their identities. He discovered that despite their advanced ages, they were indeed who they claimed to be. "Sonnuva! Ya're 'em!"  
  
"Told you so," Cassie retorted.   
  
"Come on, Cassie, can't you feel he's hurtin'?" Angie inquired. "Where are you, Papa? We wanna see you."  
  
"Ah git 'im. Go w' La…na and Miri-Ma. Kay? Be back," the Protector promised, disappearing into the darkness.  
  
"Where did he go?" they chorused.  
  
"He was an image in your minds," Clark explained.   
  
"Like a ghost? But he can't be dead!" Angie panicked.  
  
"He's not. Come on; let's enjoy our drinks while we're waiting. All right?" Lana directed.  
  
As they walked out, Martha shook her head. _This whole thing is really strange. At some point, we'll need to talk with David about this.  
_   
  
[Ten minutes later]  
  
The girls started on their second glasses of milk impatiently. They wondered where their father was.   
  
"I knew he wouldn't want us," Cassie moped.  
  
"That's not true," Miranda disagreed. "I can't imagine Uncle Dave being like that." She looked up to see the man in question coming in the front door. "In fact…"  
  
The sisters looked at the man rushing toward them with differing reactions.  
  
Angie smiled and called, "Papa!"  
  
Cassie wanted to believe he wanted them but previous experience kept her from doing so.  
  
Dave reached the table and looked the two girls over, confirming what his alter ego had told him. "I can't believe this….Cassie, Angie, how…?"  
  
"We came back for you," Angie told him.   
  
"I can leave if you want to send me away again," Cassie told him.  
  
"Send you away?" their father asked. "Never!"  
  
"You hurt me before!" she snapped.  
  
Dave collapsed into a chair beside them. "We didn't know until it was too late."  
  
"What? The Protector said that Mr. Luthor made you hurt them. What did you do?" Miranda asked.  
  
He looked around to see the other patrons staring at them. _Let's keep this on mind link if you get my drift. Clark, Lana, can you hear me? _Seeing them nod, he continued, _The girls…are resurrected somehow. You were in Heaven, right?  
  
Mama wanted to come but she couldn't_, Angie revealed.  
  
_What happened?_ Lana asked. _What did you do to Cassie?_  
  
Dave took a deep breath. _Her mother and I were high school sweethearts and best friends. We got married and she became pregnant. Then Lionel made his big revelation. _He looked at them and then his daughters before continuing, _Karen was adopted by her family but we didn't know who her original family was. Lionel did. We're twins. Once we found out, we divorced and well…we were pressured into…getting an abortion._ He choked back a sob. _I heard you screaming in my mind as they did it, Cassie. But it was too late. I've hated myself ever since._ With that, he broke down.  
  
The three teenagers gasped in shock and horror.   
  
"What?" Martha asked, wondering what their conversation was getting at.  
  
Clark leaned close to her and whispered, "Mom, Cassie and Angie came back from the dead. I'll tell you the rest later. They're his daughters."  
  
His mother stiffened, looking over the two sisters and their father. _What else is there? What could be upsetting him like this?  
_   
"See, Cassie? I told you," Angie insisted, hugging their father. "Bad man made them do it."  
  
"I promise, Cassie, you aren't going to hurt anymore. Give me another chance," he requested.  
  
Cassie looked at the eyes around her and frowned. "How do I know that?"  
  
"Cassie, our grandparents hurt him too," Miranda asserted. "I'll be here watching too."  
  
"You promise, Miri?" the elder girl insisted.  
  
"I do," Miranda vowed without hesitation. _And so will the Other. Nothing will happen to them. Nothing._  
  
"Okay," Cassie relented, joining her sister in his arms.  
  
"Thank you. You won't regret this," their father promised. _I'll keep them safe, Angie. I promise that. And wait until Karen hears about this. Never mind that. They're back. My angels are back. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. _   
  
_An we're keepin' 'em safe_, the Protector declared.  
  
Clark, Lana and Miranda smiled, hearing the two sets of thoughts and knowing that another link had been established there.  
  
Conclusion  
[Kent Farm]  
  
After leaving the Talon, he had taken his daughters for a long walk around Crater Lake. They had talked about things, catching up on people and events happening on both Heaven and Earth. At least they all knew that their relations still cared about them. Thanks to Lionel, there were bad memories to be erased. However, they had all vowed to do that together.  
  
After supper that night, Dave set down his coffee cup and looked at the others around the table. In addition to the Kents and the teenagers, Steve and Lex had joined them there. Telling the story again—even to his closest friends—proved especially difficult for him.  
  
Lex rubbed his friend's shoulder in support. His father had outdone himself with that tragedy. "I knew he hated you, Dave, but to do that?"  
  
"He did all right," Steve concurred. Looking at the two girls, he assured them, "Your parents love you."  
  
"I know that, Mr. Steve," Cassie declared. "Papa's not just saying it. I know he really feels that way." She patted her father's hand. While she wasn't ready to cuddle up to him, she would do so at some point.  
  
"Absolutely," Dave agreed. "Your mother, April and I are glad you're here. They're waiting to see you when we get back to Amherst."  
  
"We can find out together," Angie assured her sister.  
  
[Later—Fortress of Solitude]  
  
Clark and Lana stared at the stars shining down at them from space. As orphans, Fortune had taken them from their parents. However, they were still alive at least. Now that they knew about their young friends' fate, they were grateful for his parents' influence.  
  
"I always wanted to know why my parents had to die," she remarked. "At least we weren't like those kids."  
  
"I wonder who was the worse off—the girls or Dave and his sister?" he wondered.  
  
"Both," Miri pointed out, coming up the stairs. "They're all victims of Lex's father. Fortunately, they have a second chance."  
  
"How's your uncle doing?" Lana wondered.  
  
"He's beating himself up pretty badly. At least he has your parents, Clark, to talk to as well as Lex and Steve. I think he and my cousins will be all right at least."  
  
_As will all of you_, Jor-El concurred.  
  
Miranda looked around in shock. "Who said that?"  
  
_I did_, Jor-El indicated, appearing in front of them in his spirit form. _Due to your abilities, you can understand me, Miranda Arighatto. Since you have proven yourself a worthy ally to my son and his consort, I have enabled you to do so._  
  
"You're Clark's father?" Miri wondered.  
  
_I am_, the spirit declared. _Thank you for your help in all things. You did well in supporting your friend in his time of need as he did for you. But beware; your mutual enemies are still out there. You will need to learn about yourselves to survive—much more._ With that, he vanished into the darkness.  
  
"What do you suppose he meant by that?" Lana inquired.  
  
"The Black Hand is still out there and so are Lionel and Arighatto," Clark detailed.   
  
"And we'll need everyone's assistance to hang in there," Miranda agreed. "I can't believe it, Clark. Your father's ghost really talks with you!"  
  
"Now that he's not trying to kill us, having him as a teacher is a great help. Still, the Hand gets tougher to beat each time we face them. How will we stop them the next time?" Lana wondered.  
  
"Who knows? We'll figure that out when the time comes. Meantime, let's enjoy our time together and hope for the best where our friends are concerned," he surmised, as they resumed their vigil of the distant stars and tried to dismiss such thoughts.  
  
Still the present for their friends looked good at least for now. But it would prove an Indian summer of hope before the Black Hand's next stratagem came to pass….That would happen soon enough indeed.  
  
THE END (for now)  
  



End file.
